Porcelain Grace - Meryl Ruth

Banner: Porcelain Grace, Meryl Ruth, Fine Art

THE QUEEN'S TEA-YARA

This teapot is a further evolution of the prototype work, Queen of T-Arts, which was more formalized in design with its clean-cut silk-screened images of the playing cards.
Artistic license is taken for this work to make the imagery more fluid and free-form, with more variation in coloration for the silk-screen image transfer to make the design more distorted, altered and abstract.
The spout is wheel-thrown and paddled; then altered and carved. The handle is pulled, altered, paddled and sculpted. Feet and lid are press mold of a tart-shaped mold.
Construction sequence
- Flat stoneware slabs are cut into playing card shape.
- Underglaze coats applied to slabs in greenware state.
- Queen of hearts photo silk-screened on front of another slab and affixed to underglazed flat surface.
- Another card is treated in same way with photo silk-screened image of the back of a playing card.
- Thinner slabs added to sides to emulate pack of cards and to enclose body of teapot.
- First fired to cone 04.
- Additional underglazes applied
- Refired to cone 5/6.
- Layers of China paints; each layer fired to cone 018.
- Cold finishes applied.
- Tiles are photo silk-screened with images of king of hearts. These are formed into a base to provide support and stability when attached to complete the work.
Date: 2012.
Size: 16.0" x 15.0" x 3.5".
Available for purchase. Price: $1,600.

ENLARGED VIEWS

Enlarged image.

Enlarged image,

CREATIVE PROCESS

Early phase in construction and silk-screen coloration.

The hollowed-out body of the teapot is hand-built of clay slabs in the form of a deck of cards.
The front and back surfaces are silk-screened with the free-form images of the front and back of a queen of hearts playing card.

Lid and feet formed of inverted tart shells.

Several tart shell forms are sculpted in clay. They are used to create the lid; others are inverted to make the feet of the piece.

Spout and handle are applied.

The design of the feet is modified with additional tart shell clay forms made by press mold. Each consists of two conjoined shells.
Two shells are united upright and placed upon another shell which has been inverted to create the base of the tiara-like lid.
The handle is made from pulled clay; when formed, it is paddled and sculpted.
The spout is first wheel thrown and then paddled, altered and carved.
This completes the construction phase. The piece is now ready for its first kiln firing.

Glazing and initial kiln firing done.

After a successful first kiln firing to cone 06, glazing is begun to enhance the images and add decorative details.

Silk-screened images are placed on tiles that will form the base.

This slabs of tile are photo silk-screened with images of the king of hearts. These tiles will be used to form the base to support the completed teapot.

Completed work attached to a supportive based consisting of silk-screened tiles.

The newly assembled tile base is in place permanently attached to the ceramic work by score and slip method for support and stability.